Tips: Home Water Works Everywhere

When our RV water pump stopped working, we didn't switch to champagne. We just traveled like we do when we are winterized. We use several water bottles filled at home and stored in our camper. We fill and take along these bottles every trip. Two store away bottles hold 3 liters each. Those ride in the bottom of the wardrobe. The third bottle is a flat 1.25-gallon bottle with a spigot. It rests on a foam pad and is held against the kitchen wall with a bungee cord. This is our normal drinking water, plus in the winter it is only only “running” water. The flat bottle can be unhooked and repositioned over the sink, then swiveled back for travel.

Back in 2009, when we first found the flat fridge water bottle at Meijer (a big retail/supermarket chain in the Midwest), we thought the weight of water (and anti-slip material) would hold it in place while traveling. Wrong! A sudden stop sent the bottle flying inside the camper and the brittle plastic walls exploded, spraying everything. Also, some of the early plastic bottles developed leaks, flooding the counter at surprising moments. Two thin foam pads cut to fit the bottom seemed to prevent shock from cracking the bottom, and the bungee cord attached to two screw eyes restrained the bottle. The spigot overhangs the edge of the counter and permits getting a drink any time.

Why extra water? We often travel with our Standard Poodles. They are used to drinking our well water at home, and by bringing that water, we don't have to worry about different water chemistry on the road. The same holds for our drinking and cooking water — bottled water is in our fridge, but if we run out, our containers will tide us over.

Of course we fill our fresh water tank at home before every trip except for winter trips. The bottles serve as our potable water supply in the coldest weather when the main tanks are empty or protected with pink RV antifreeze. (Yes, the pink stuff works well in the toilet and black tank when the snow flies. We store Prestone RV antifreeze in the flat bottle beside the john when it is cold outside).

As we said, the extra bottled water has been a lifesaver when our water pumps quit (we have had three pump failures recently, but that's another story). If you can tuck away a few gallons of water in out-of-the-way places, that can be a day-saver during any water shortage.

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Roger Brucker and his wife Lynn have been Roadtrekkers since 2009. Both are retired, Roger from a Business-to-Business advertising agency and from teaching marketing for 25 years at Wright State University, Dayton, OH. Lynn is an electronics engineer, retired from the USAF Research Laboratory. Roger has authored or co-authored five books on cave exploring. They are cave explorers, kite flyers, and have four Standard Poodles. Their home base is Beavercreek, OH, a Dayton suburb. “We’ve done a lot of camping and long distance tandem bicycle riding, including an unsupported San Diego to St. Augustine ride in 2000,” said Lynn. Roger says, “But we love our 190 Popular Roadtrek because we can go anywhere on a moment’s notice, and stay off the grid for a week.” They are known to many Roadtrekkers for contributing ideas and suggestions on the Roadtrek Yahoo Forum and Cyberrally. Some of their modifications to Red Rover, their Roadtrek, are documented at www.RedRoverRoadtrek.com

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1 comment

Evie

We just completed a 3 1/2 week February trek from Iowa to Phoenix in our Roadtrek. Though the weather was warm after Texas, we never bothered to de-winterize. Used water in 1/2 gal milk jugs for drinking & kitchen; also differently marked ones to flush toilet with antifreeze/water mix. Here’s another liquid we keep for winter camping 🙂

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